


hear you've got your troubles

by orphan_account



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Light Angst, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Patrick Stump, Other, Trans Character, Transphobia, mystery author is back !, stay perfect au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 03:39:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12182181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When the band gets back together, the nonsensical hate mail Patrick gets more than doubles. It goes from the occasional "you can't just be neither" message to long, elaborate reasons as to why they aren't allowed to exist.Continuation of the same nonbinary Patrick AU that "stay perfect" is set in.





	hear you've got your troubles

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, uh, hey, it's me, the mysterious nb Patrick author. Uh, wow. The response to stay perfect was overwhelmingly positive. So...here. Here's a short drabble set in the same AU. Your sweet comments on my first fic really made my day. No, made my week. MADE MY LIFE!
> 
> Also! If you love the idea of nonbinary Patrick as much as I do, I made a blog! You can now follow me at nbtrick on tumblr, and send me headcanons or ideas or maybe art or mini fics I literally don't care I just want you guys to come hang with me!
> 
> So here you go. Thanks for loving the first one :)

When the band gets back together, the nonsensical hate mail Patrick gets more than doubles. It goes from the occasional "you can't just be neither" message to long, elaborate reasons as to why they aren't allowed to exist. Pete is forced to watch from the sidelines as his poor friend is assaulted with increasingly ridiculous hate. 

When Patrick storms into Pete's house one day without warning, waving their phone madly and yelling something so quickly and angrily it's unintelligible, Pete knows something's up, and he knows it's probably some asshole again.

"Patrick, hey, what's wrong?" Pete asks, getting to his feet and casting a concerned look in Patrick's direction. 

"Me, apparently!" Patrick yells back, huffing and crossing their arms. Pete sighs and steps closer, cautiously taking them into a hug. He's relieved when Patrick softens up in his embrace. 

"It's just shit sometimes," they mumble into Pete's neck, sighing heavily. "People are assholes, you know that?"

"What'd they say?" Pete asks hesitantly, unsure if Patrick even wants to talk about it. 

They do, apparently, because they immediately go off on a rambling answer. "Well, first I got like five of the stereotypical 'pick one' asks, those I can handle, but then someone started calling me slurs and someone else told me they couldn't even listen to our music anymore and-"

"Hey, calm down, it'll be fine," Pete murmurs, tightening his grip around Patrick's body. "I know it's hard, but don't let them get to you. Just...tell 'em to fuck off. You don't deserve this. You know you're totally allowed to fight back, right?"

Patrick pulls away, and their face lights up, like this is the most brilliant thing that's ever occurred to them. "Holy shit, you're right. I should've been doing that all along."

"Maybe take a little break now. But sure." Pete smiles, grateful that his weak attempt at comfort had worked. "Want to have a movie marathon?"

"Sure." Patrick shrugs. "And I'll take your advice."

"Good luck with that," Pete says, amused. Then he goes to start the movies. 

///

Patrick _does_ take Pete's advice. And they take it way more seriously than Pete had expected. 

He checks his phone the next morning to find his entire twitter feed is Patrick's snarky reactions to hate they're receiving. And some of the shit is really funny, too. 

_I can't believe you have the audacity to pull something like this for attention._

_**Whoa, this just in! My identity is evidence I'm looking for attention!** _

_My daughter tried to tell me she was a boy after she started listening to your music. You've ruined my child._

_**Please tell your SON I'm proud of him and happy I could help!** _

_I hate you. You're a disgrace to this earth._

_**Oh, you hate me? Then why don't you trying not talking to me? It's easy! Just never talk to me again.** _

Pete would keep scrolling, but he's interrupted by, for the second time in as many days, Patrick bursting into his house uninvited. They're decked out in the most elaborate outfit Pete has seen them go for yet - a pleated pastel pink skirt with a white t-shirt that hangs off one shoulder tucked into the waistband, tall black high heels, knee-high white socks, arms loaded with glimmering bracelets, and on top of all that, bright red lipstick, eyeshadow that looks like a sunrise, and _is that face glitter_?

"Loving your responses. Oh, and that outfit, you look cute!" Pete calls out as they slam the door behind them. Concerned by the angry action, he thinks to add, "What happened this time?" Isn't Patrick handling this? What's gone wrong?

"Do you like _this_ response?" Patrick asks, pointing sharply to their ear. Pete can't figure out what he's supposed to be looking at at first, but then he does. At some point, Patrick's gotten their ears pierced, and both are now adorned with glittering blue gemstones. 

"What's that a response to?" Pete asks, pretty sure he hasn't missed anything. He's seen most of Patrick's responses to hate, and this seems to fit none of them. 

Patrick raises an eyebrow and answers bitterly, "Some ass told me I present _too feminine_ to be nonbinary, because apparently I have to be the _perfect display of androgyny_ or I don't count. So I dressed up today and got my ears pierced, because fuck them, this is how I feel most comfortable."

Pete's eyes widen. "Wow, you're really into telling people to screw off right now, aren't you?"

"You were right," Patrick answers, nodding to Pete. "Full-on telling assholes to fuck off helps way more than internalizing it."

"Glad I could help," Pete says, still in awe. Patrick beams back at him, and Pete is happy to say he can fucking _see_ how great they're feeling, almost feel the joy radiating off of them. He smiles back. 

"Anyways, you can also help me by taking a picture. That's my response to that one idiot," Patrick says, handing Pete their phone. Pete gladly accepts it, and laughs as Patrick poses overdramatically for the photo. 

Five minutes later, Patrick has a photo they're satisfied with and a new response to the unfounded hate. 

_You aren't nonbinary. Look at the way you dress, just admit you're just a girl and stop looking for attention!_

_**Oh, sorry, didn't realize I was too feminine to know my own identity. Here, I made sure I looked extra feminine just for you!** _

Pete chuckles at the tweet, looking up to Patrick, who's beaming at him expectantly. 

"It's great, 'Trick," he says truthfully. "You're handling this really well."

Patrick grins wider.


End file.
